Consequence-guided clarification: releasing minimum-compliance topology-optimized designs from incomplete specifications

A converged topology optimization can solve the wrong problem when loads, supports, or the domain are underspecified. Assuming defaults, or asking the problem's author about every detail, ignores how much each answer changes the design. We propose consequence-guided clarification (CGC), which bases acceptance on computed mechanical consequences. CGC computes a reference design for each of a finite list of complete specifications, called readings. A design is accepted only if its compliance is at most 5% above the reference at every reading consistent with the answers. Otherwise, CGC asks the question whose worst answer leaves the smallest worst-case excess, and withholds acceptance at its question limit. To save optimizations, the screening variant CGC-S postpones some references until a candidate must be checked. We developed and evaluated both on 36 arXiv-derived tasks, treating each of 134 readings in turn as intended and simulating correct answers. In 26 tasks, the default-reading design failed another reading. Apart from always-asked questions on load direction, sign, and material budget, asking everything took 188 questions; CGC and CGC-S each took 105. The acceptance test supplied most of this saving: applying it to the default design alone took 117. Relative to asking everything, CGC-S requested 4.6 extra reference designs per avoided question, each from two optimization starts, counting optimization time only. References are not certified optima: better ones pushed three accepted cases above tolerance, and finer meshes changed some decisions. Within these limits, the test shows which readings a design covers and which details block acceptance.